Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men/marvel characters, some of these lines are not even mine but taken or paraphrased from various cartoons and comics I've read. What can I say, but I suck with dialogue. Just have some story in my head that won't go away so I'm writing it down.

NINE TO FIVE: Chapter Two - Pushing Buttons

"You threatening us, mutie?" said the African-American who appeared second in command.

"Do you not understand a threat, flatscan?" Remy shot back.

Things were going to go down in the little CD shop. Rogue looked at the frightened Jamal. Feed up with the testosterone pre-fight Rogue shouted, "Would yal all just back off!!!" She stepped in between the Acolytes and the mob, separating Remy and the leader.

"I suggest you two girls leave this place before you get hurt," the mob leader said. "These muties don't look after the innocents."

Rogue stayed put. "No, bystander mutie meh is just tryin' ta keep your guilty, intolerant ass from getting plummeted."

"Mutants!! They're everywhere!!!" A few men tried to grab ahold of Kitty, but they fell right through her. Others tried to do the same to Rogue, but she kicked the lead in the stomach with her combat boot.

"Nuh-huh. Don't touch," Rogue warned. "Not unless ya wanna end up in a coma. Touch mah skin and that's what you'll get." Rogue ripped off her purple sweater and leather gloves. "Most days ah'd welcome ya getting your just desserts by touchin' meh, but ah don't feel like it today."

The mob hesitated to attack again. Rogue blew a stray white hair out of her face and rolled her eyes at the group. "Ah mean, come on. Who are ya foolin'? You're black!" She nodded toward the man who appeared to be second in command. "Doesn't this whole discrimination thing remind ya little of the fifties? Too bad we skipped the whole segregation phase. 'Mutants use the side door' signs and the like." The man paused, finally realizing where exactly he was and what he was doing.

"An' did ya, Brian," Rogue asked the Jewish guy in her math class, "ever dream that ya would be leadin' a holocast instead of bein' a victim of one like your great grandparents? Bet they'd be proud." Rogue stopped there and smiled. She noticed a few of the crowd were having epiphanies, but not all.

"Mutants are dangerous!! They'll kill us all in our sleeps!" One of the unenlightened ones shouted.

"That's right, sugah. Mutants are dangerous, ta themselves, ta others..." Rogue looked at her hands. "But normals are too or did yal come in here to invite these boys to a sleepover?" Silence came over the store. "Ah don't go lookin' for trouble, got enough o' mah own problems. So why don't yal march your Nazi asses outta here an' let meh deal with mah own problems!"

The leader still wasn't convinced. "She's trying to trick us. She wants us to let our guard down so she can kill us all!"

"Hon, if ah really wanted ya dead, ah woulda let these boys here fry yal. It woulda saved me a lotta time."

"Your words won't infect my mind!" the leader cried. "Come on guys, enough talk." With that the leader turned around to signal to the others to start trashing the place, then he realized that no one was there. The last of the crowd was just disappearing outside the door, having lost the feeling of blind hatred for the time being.

"You're right, sugah. Ah can't change your mind if ya ain't got one."

The leader fumed. "This isn't over, freak!!" The man ran out of the store as fast as he could.

Rogue continued to stand there, frozen. "Rogue," Kitty came up behind her. "Are you okay?"

"Yah, Kitty," Rogue's face remained stoic as ever. "Just a little tired. Ya ready to go?"

"Sure, Rogue, I, like, have to pay for these." Kitty carried a pile of CD's up to the counter.

Again of the Acolytes, Gambit was the first to speak. "Chere, I never seen anythin' like dat happen."

"Well, swamp rat, ya just gotta know what buttons ta push."

Gambit flashed her a mischievous grin. "You can push my buttons anytime, chere."

"Do ya have a mute button? That would come in real handy," Rogue responded.

The other Acolytes burst out into laughter again. "That is two, Remy! I like you, Rogue, is your name?" Colossus spoke with his Russian accent. "My name is Piotr Rasputan, but my English friends call me Peter." Colossus held out his large hand, and Rogue took it.

Something came over Rogue and she decided to lay a little charm of her own. "Peter, nice ta meet ya. Ya know, ah always like 'em tall, dark and Russian (1)." Rogue flashed the same sly smile as before and both Peter and Gambit turned red: Peter from embarrassment and Gambit from jealousy.

Kitty approached the group again. "Okay, Rogue, I'm ready to go." The two started to walk out the door and Rogue turned back and waved. "See ya later boys."

"Rogue wait!" Rogue and Kitty turned around to see Jamal signaling them back into the store.

"Yah?" Rogue inquired.

Jamal responded, "I really like the way you handled that mob before and wondered if you wanted a job here."

"What?! After what just happened an' with that guy just threatenin' me an' all..." Rogue replied in amazement.

"Yes."

Rogue pondered the offer. She would like the extra money, she hated depending on the Professor to provide her with cash for clothes and music and such... where does the Prof come up with all his money anyway. Maybe there's some money trees in the orchard that ah haven't found yet... Rogue looks back up at Jamal puts one hand on her hip and with the other points to a speaker, "Do ah getta pick what kinda music plays in here?"

(1) Line from the cartoon X-Men: The Animated Series, the episode with the Juggernaut.